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No funk in the trunks: Japanese astronaut tests extended-wear underpants

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Exploring outer space has led to a lot of innovations we now take for granted -- the Fisher Space Pen, infrared ear thermometer and edible toothpaste come to mind -- but we’re not so sure we’re keen on one of the inventions currently being tested onboard the International Space Station: underpants that can be worn for a week at a stretch.

According to recently published reports, Expedition 18 flight engineer Koichi Wakata, the first Japanese astronaut to live aboard the ISS, took up residence March 17 wearing a pair of J-ware odor-free, quick-drying, bacteria-killing underpants developed by textile experts at Japan Woman’s University in Tokyo.

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An official with the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency is quoted as saying Wakata should be able to wear the undergarments for a week at a stretch while remaining comfortable and stink-free.

Apparently once testing is complete, plans are to launch a commercial line using the same technology. But just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. Why on Earth (literally and hyperbolically) would anyone need to go a week between changes? We can think of only one person who might benefit: box-dwelling magician David Blaine.

Any other ideas?
-- Adam Tschorn

Photo (from left): Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata, Russian cosmonaut Yury Lonchakov, American commander Lee Archambault and American astronaut Sandy Magnus. Credit: AP Photo/NASA TV

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